20 AKSAL GROUP

Employees: 1,080 Presence: 1 Country Founded: 1994 Country: Morocco

Since 2004, Moroccan-based AKSAL has signed franchise agreements with international groups in retail, luxury, technology and home goods, including Inditex. It opened the first Zara store in Casablanca. In 2009, it launched its AKSAL Malls division in Morocco. Two years later, the company opened their first mall, Morocco Mall, the largest in Africa, with over 350 brands. It expanded AKSAL Group’s brands with the arrival of Ralph Lauren, Gap, Banana Republic and Galeries Lafayette. Today the corporation has 30 affiliates, 45 brands and a workforce of 1,080 people.